Basic Needs of Your Dog

To keep a dog happy, you have to be able to provide for its needs first. Here are the basics in taking care of a dog.

As with any other living thing, food is essential. And giving the proper nutrition for your pet will keep your dog energetic and happy. Not everything in those packs will be appealing to your pet. You will have to keep an eye out for an appetizing diet for your dog. This is a trial and error process. You need to watch how your dog responds to the meals that you give him.

You also need a few weeks to check if your dog really likes the food. If the dog’s coat begins to shed or lose its shine, then you may need to change diets. You can talk to your vet regarding this. Always remember to give your dog plenty of water to drink.

Your dog should have their own space in the house. This will teach them to respect their space. And in turn, they will respect yours. Remember that dogs are pack animals, so you will need to establish ground rules as the “alpha” of the pack.

Make certain that you keep a watchful eye on your dog. Dogs don’t do well with the heat or the cold. You would need to watch your pet to make sure that they don’t encounter any serious health issues due to the weather like a heat stroke.

Dogs need exercise, just like people do. This helps strengthen the bones and muscles and prevents heart issues due to fat. It also will help by boosting the dog’s self-esteem and is a very good way to temper the dog. Walking is an effective way to reinforce good behavior.

A regular check up with the vet will also help prevent any form of illness that could harm your dog. The vet will be able to help you determine and prevent any illnesses before your dog’s health is put in danger.

Grooming is also important for your dog. This will help keep bacteria off your dog and of course, make him/her look presentable at all times.

Giving Your Dog a Bath

Bathing dogs can be really tricky. To help you out with this task, here’s how you can do it without getting yourself all washed up.

First, choose a location where you will bathe your dog. You can go with a tub for big dogs or a sink for smaller dogs. You can also get a self-service dog tub from pet stores or you could bathe the dog outside.  Remember that warm water is best for the dog  so make sure to double check the temperature and confirm that it’s not too hot or too cold.

Make sure that your towel, shampoo, brushes and bath mat are ready. Being prepared saves you a lot of time from running around tring to remember where you set down the dog brush you used last week.

Of course, the first thing to do is to wet your dog. Make sure that they are thoroughly wet. Several dogs have coats that are waterproof, so you will have to spend a few minutes wetting them down. Put a hand on your dogs head while doing this to prevent shaking. Dogs will instinctively shake the water off and get you soaking wet in the process.

Apply shampoo on your dog’s hair creating a lather of soap with your hands. You can also try putting two-thirds of shampoo and one-third of water in a spray bottle. Avoid the face, eyes and genital area when soaping your dog, since these are all very sensitive areas.

Dogs love getting massages and the scrubbing part is probably the best part of bath time for them. Scrub and rub your dog. Use your fingers to help massage the dog, like when you wash your hair. There is also a rubber tool with nubs that you can purchase from a petstore that helps scrub the dog and massage him as well. Don’t forget to clean the feet and paws too! Let the shampoo sit for about 10 to 15 minutes keeping an eye one the dog to prevent them from trying to lick themselves.

Once done, it’s time to rinse your dog. Make sure you get all the shampoo out. And make sure that you don’t get any in their eyes and ears. Don’t miss out on the skin fold and the feet.

Lastly, it’s drying time. Don’t let your dog go. He’ll just get dirty immediately. Let him shake the water off, and you can towel-dry the excess water. Then lay a towel on the floor. The dog will instinctively run to it and rub itself on it. If your dog can tolerate it, you can also blow-dry his/her hair, however it must be very low heat if you do this!

Dog Coat Care Tips

Both men and women love to have their hair done before going out. The only time that our hair would be a mess is when we get out of bed. We shampoo our hair. We go to the salon for hair treatments. This is to make sure that our hair is presentable and healthy.

Dogs are very much the same. And as their owners, we have the responsibility to maintain the lush coat of our beloved pets. The coat will make an impression on other dogs and other people as well. Their coat is similar to a cape that would make them royalty.

If gum gets stuck on the dog’s fur, you can freeze it up first with ice cubes. Then you can break off the gum. You can also use peanut butter to help remove the gum. Or you can use a solvent to take it out. In case the gum is stuck between the toes, just carefully cut the affected hair in the area off. And make sure that you keep it neat and trimmed to avoid any similar occurrences.

If burrs get caught in your dog’s coat, there are a couple things that you can do. You can take a sewing seam ripper and use it to pick the burrs out one by one. It is definitely a tedious task. After you’ve done this, have mink oil applied to your dog’s coat. This will make it slippery, allowing the burrs to brush easily out. Mink oils are usually available at a grooming shop and you may even be able to ask the groomer for tips or strategies on removing the burrs.

To get paint off your dog’s coat, use soap and water. Chemicals may burn the dog’s skin so don’t let the dog chew it out. Paint is toxic, and you do not want your dog eating it.

Tomato juice is the best remedy for a dog who has has an encounter with a skunk. You can also make a concoction of baking soda, liquid dish soap or laundry soap and hydrogen peroxide. After making the mixture, you can say good bye to that awful skunky smell!

Dog Dental Care Tips

Like humans, dogs need to take care of their teeth too. It would help your dog tremendously if you too the time to maintain their dental hygiene.

Dogs can catch dental diseases too. It would be best to always check your dog’s teeth by looking at them. You just need to lift the lips while checking for irregularities in his teeth. Make sure that you don’t get nipped while doing this. If you can, have a wellness checkup for him every six to twelve months.

If your dog has halitosis, pain while chewing, excess drooling, red and puffy gums, bleeding gums, tartar, missing teeth, loose teeth or any other irregularity in the dog’s mouth, see a vet.

If the bacteria in the teeth are not eliminated, then it could cause the dog to ruin his teeth and have other mouth diseases. These can also complicate things and affect the heart and kidneys. So prevent it while you can.

There are several ways to prevent dental issues with your dog. Have a routine that would last him a life time. Start this routine at around the first 6 months of the dog or when it begins to lose its baby teeth.

You can brush the dog’s teeth but never with human toothpaste. There are components of human toothpaste that will make your dogs sick.

Plaque needs to be taken off the teeth every 24 to 48 hours as it will turn into tartar. A finger brush or a long toothbrush designed for dogs can be used to brush their teeth. These will help you comfortably brush the dog’s teeth without having him complain about anything. Last and most importantly, ask your vet to teach you some techniques on how to brush your dog’s teeth.

If you just don’t have the time to brush the teeth, then you can use oral rinses or dental treats. Don’t use real bones. These could cause tooth damage and stomach aches for the dog.

Never forget to show up for the dog’s vet appointment. The best way to cure diseases is to prevent them. By brushing the dog’s teeth, you can breathe easy and be sure that your dog has no dental problems.

Foods Dogs Should Not Eat

There are many foods that should never be given to your dog. Many are not even good for people, but dogs seem to always want whatever we eat. Before you give your doggy companion your leftovers, look at this list and make sure it is not intended to give your dog one of the following type of foods:

Chocolate

Is toxic to dogs and is at the top of the list of foods that should never be given to your dog. Baking chocolate is the worst and white chocolate is the least dangerous, but please do not give your dog, no matter how much begs!

Onions

These are incredibly bad for the digestive system of a dog, especially in mass quantities, avoid them in any amount that you can..

Grapes and raisins

These can cause kidney failure. One might think that these small morsels are alright and fun for your dog to eat, especially since the grapes are fun for the dogs to chase, however they can be very deadly.

Milk and Dairy Products

An enzyme known called lactose is necessary to digest, but dogs do not have enough of it. Although dogs love it, ice cream is a no-no for them.

Bones

Most likely a dogs favorite thing to snack on, what is most surprising of all foods that should never be given to your dog. They can chew, chew, chew, and then bury them and dig them up later. But the truth is, they can splinter and the bones can lodge in the intestines of your dog or even puncture them. Dogs can also choke on them. And not just chicken bones. This is the case of any type of bone.

Artificial sweeteners and Artificial Fats

These are also bad for dogs. In fact, they do not really need any flavor enhancers to enjoy their food. They are happy with the food cooked the way it already is.

Sugar and Processed Foods

Yes, people eat a lot of these things. That is why so many people are obese and weight loss is the industry that is most lucrative. The dogs are not able to digest these foods easily like us, so keep to healthy, nutritious food (which is good advice for humans too!).

Spicy Food

Spicy food can damage the stomach of your dog. Your dog does not need spices or condiments in food to encourage them to eat it up!

Leftovers or Spoiling Food

The last food that should never be given to your dog. It is hard because many people, rather than throw the food that you do not want out, many dog owners give their dogs the food. Somehow it is presumed that dogs can tolerate it better than we can. The fact is they can’t! This will put the health of your dog at risk by giving them food that is garbage.

Remember these guidelines when you plan to share your table scraps or snacks for your dog. Fortunately, there are many foods that are good and healthy for dogs. In fact, many dog food and treat recipes that you can give them. Make sure that food you should never give your dog, as indicated above, are not included in them.